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Kate Schwass-Bueckert, QMI Agency

Most moms-to-be are eager to hear of ways to lessen their pain while giving birth. Now, a former Rockette has a few tips on how to connect with your body to make labour a little easier.

Performing prenatal yoga allows women to connect with their bodies and become very aware of how the body moves and what helps women feel good, says Amy Griffith, a former Radio City Rockette turned prenatal fitness guru.

“We connect in the most amazing way to the power of our breath, recognizing how it can create a sense of calm and peace throughout our bodies, yet it provides us power when we need it. Gaining a greater understanding of your body and trusting that it is designed to grow and birth your baby is one of the most amazing gifts you can receive from your prenatal yoga practice,” Griffith says in promoting her Active Prenatal Yoga workout DVD.

Prenatal yoga is very safe and can be done even in the late stages of pregnancy with modified poses, she says.

While it has long been believed yoga can benefit pregnant women, a study released May 1 by researchers at Newcastle University in England found it can significantly reduce stress and anxiety in first-time mothers. One of the researchers even suggested the U.K.’s National Health Service may want to consider providing yoga classes.

“It would be relatively cheap to implement, could help mothers and their children be healthier, as well as reducing the costs of longer term health care,” John Aplin says in a release.

Griffith says many things about yoga – poses, breathing techniques and meditation – can all be utilized by a woman as she moves through labour and delivery.

But even though yoga is a low-impact workout, she does say women need to take it easy.

“Trust your body and listen to it if you need to come out of a pose or simply take a break. Check in more often on how the pose feels versus how you think it's supposed to ‘look,’” she says, adding it is up to a woman to decide when she does yoga during her pregnancy.

“Your body is changing daily, if you need to rest during your first trimester, we look forward to you joining us during your second,” she says.